Folding chair



J. KOVATS FOLDING CHAIR Feb. 6, 1934.

Filed NOV. 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwuentoz Feb. 6, J KOVATS FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 6, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,946,082 FOLDING CHAIR John Kovats, Bridgeport, Conn; assignor to The Leg-O-Matic Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut 7 Application November 19, 1930 Serial No. 49 ,752

8 cla ms. (01. 155-142;)'

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in foldable' or collapsible chairs of the kind disclosed in my prior application, Serial No. 446,587, filed April 23, 1930.

An object of the invention is to provide a foldable chair wherein the back of the chair may be collapsed against one side of the chair seat member while one pair of chair legs are collapsed against the other side of the chair seat member and the other pair of chair legs are swung to a "position in or approximately in the plane of the seat member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible chair including improved mounting and bracing means for the chair legs and im- "---provedoperating connections between the chair legs and the chair back whereby as the chair back is swung to folded position the chair legs will also be swung to folded position.

An additional object is to provide a foldable chair having the characteristics set forth and wherein the operating parts are at least for the most part, of sheet metal stampings whereby my improved chair may be produced in quantities and at low cost.

" Further, by the present application I am seeking to specifically protect a form of my invention disclosed as a modification in my prior application above referred to.

Other objects and advantages will become ap- *parent from a consideration of the following detailed-description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown; However, it is to be understood that the invention ii is not limited to the details shown since changes and modifications may be made without departinvention or the scope their extended position, the free or end portions of the back end 'legs being broken away;

Fig. 3 is arear elevational view of the connections'at one side looking from the right in Fig. 2;

Fig. is a plan view looking toward the bottom 'fof Fig. 1 with the legs shown in section;

Fig.5 is a side folded condition;

Fig .is a central sectional view of the chair with the backe 'andlegs partially collapsed;

elevational view of the chair in Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the mountv ing bracket for the back;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of an operating L-shaped lever used in connecting the back and le s; f

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of the lever of Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of themounting bracket for the rear legs; and

Fig. 12 is a detailed sectional view on of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings my improved chair includes a seat member 12 of any suitable construction but preferably including a frame member having side bars or portions 13 and a connecting front portion 14, said frame providing a means for carrying the seat proper of any" suitable material or construction; The seat member 12 may, of course. be of any desired shape and as shown is substantially square. However, it

the line 12 .will be understood as the description proceeds;

that the invention may be applied to or used in connection withseats of various shapes and sizes.

In the present construction the front legs 15 are pivoted as at 16 to brackets 17 secured tothe' inner sides of the side bars or portions 13 of the frame member for the seat. Further, these brackets 17 extend about the front of the seat frame member at its inner side being secured to the front bar 14 as at 18 whereby to brace the frame member. The rear portion of the brackets 1'7 formguide members or plates and are provided with somewhat inclined slots 19 having oilsets or upturned end portions 20.

For the purpose of bracing the front legs in their extended position or for drawing them into folded position. links 21 are pivoted to the front legs as at 22 and the other ends of the links carry shouldered rivets 23 operating in the slots 19. It will be obvious that when the rivets 23 are in the upturned portions or ends 20 of the slots 19 the front chair legs 15 will be fully' braced by the said links 21. That is, any tendency of the 'legs'to fold inwardly will simply result in the rivets being pushed harder against thesides of the slots and the legs will be locked in extended position. Means are provided for securing the links 21 in the position shown in Figure 2 whereby accidental folding of the legs 15 due to the rivets 23 escaping from the upturned portions 20'of the slots '19 is prevented. To this end links 21 carry projecting studs or pins 24 and catch members 25 are pivoted 1 to each of the brackets i? as at 26." 'A spring 27 normally acts to maintain the catches 25 iii-the.

position shown in Fig. 2, engaged over the studs or pins 24. The operating means for the catches 25 comprises a connecting bar or member 28 having its central portion disposed comparatively close to the front or connecting member 14. of the frame whereby as this member is gripped the fingers of the gripping hand may engage and move the connecting bar 28 toward the seat thus swinging the catches25 about their pivots 26 in oppo sition to the springs 27 to release the pins or studs 24 and thus the links 21.

To the rear end portions of the side frame members 13, and at the inner sides of the same, there are secured substantially L-shaped mounting brackets 29 shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. A back 30 of any desired construction but including side members 31 is pivotally secured asat 32 to the upright end portions 33 of the brackets 29. Secured to the sides of the side members 31 of the back 30 and beneath the mounting brackets 29 are L-shaped operating levers 34 for a purpose to be described. These operating levers 34, are rigidly secured to the side members 31 .of the back to move therewith, being secured by the pivots 32 and bolts or rivets 35. In order to take care of this arrangement, the upright portion 33 of bracket 29 is oifset outwardly as at 298. and the bracket is cut away as at 29b. Lever 34 is offset as at 342. whereby when the chair is in extended or set-up condition, part 34 of the lever passes through the cut-out 29b of bracket 29.

Also part 43 of lever 34 is offset as at 43a whereby link 42 may operate in a straight line.

Each of the rear legs 36 01 the chair is equipped 'with a mounting plate 37 shown in detail in Fig.

11. These plates 37 are rigidly secured to the legs and the upper end of each'of the plates is offset as shown and pivoted to the mounting bracket 29 as at 38.

the rear legs as described and due to the operating connection between them, in the form of the links 39, it will be apparent that the back 30 may be swung downwardly into a folded position against the top side of the chair seat 12 and that such movement of the back will operatethrou'gh the links 39 to swing the rear legs 36 about their pivots 38 to dispose said legs in the plane of the seat member as shown in Fig. 5.

Means are provided whereby the front legs will be operated or moved into folded or extended position with such movement of the back and rear legs. To this end links or rods. 12 are pivotally connected at 42a to the arms 43 of the L-shaped levers 34. The other end of each such link or rod 42 is pivotally mounted on the rivets 23 previously described and shown in detail in Fig. 12. j 7

Now, it will be apparent that with the chair extended and ready for use as shown in-Fig. 2

6,, the same may be folded into the position shown in Fig. 5 by grasping the upper edge of the chair back in one hand and front frame member 14 in the other hand the fingers of the hand grasping the member 14 depressing the cross-bar 28 ito move the catches 25 to inoperative position.

On movement of the hands toward each other back 30 will be swung on its pivot 32 to dispose the back against the upper side of the seat 12. This'movement of the back results in movement of the rear legs 36 as previously described and due to the connections 42 between the levers Links 39 operatively connect 1 the L-shaped levers 34 carried by the back to the 34 and rivets 23 the latter will be drawn downwardly in the end portions 20 of slots 19 and then rearwardly through said slots resulting in the links 21 drawing the front legs 15 into folded position at the under side of the seat 12.

In the construction shown the legs 36 are pivoted to the side portions 13 of the seat frame member through bracket 29 on pivot 38 and the legs 15 are pivoted at the inner sides of said portions at 16 and when in folded position are within the frame member being disposed at the inner sides of the portions 13 and in the construction shown, parallel therewith. Since the rear legs 36 fold outwardly as shown in Fig. 5 into the plane of the seat member 12 the chair is comparatively thin when folded. Further, when stacking chairs folded as shown they may be stacked alternately with the back of one chair disposed on the rear legs of the other chair.

t will also be noted that the mounting andv operating parts are so constructed that they may be made by stamping from sheet metal and thus produced in quantities at small cost. In addition, the parts are of rugged construction and the operation of folding and unfolding the chair is extremely simple although when in extended position or in unfolded position, the chair may not accidentally collapse with an occupant due to the fact that the catches 25 co-operating with the rivets 23, and slots 20 securely lock the parts in extended position.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. A foldable chair comprising a seat member, a back member, means at the rear edge of the seat member pivotally mounting the back member for movement to folded position against one side of the seat member, a pair of front legs pivoted to the seat member adjacent its front edge, a pair of rear legs pivoted'to the seat member adjacent its rear edge, a connection between the back member and the rear legs whereby as the back member is moved to folded position the rear legs are moved to folded position, a connection between the back member and the front legs whereby the front legs will be moved to folded position as the lower end portion ofthe back member is moved to folded position, said connection between the back member and front legs comprising a member having a slot including an upturned portion, a link pivoted to one of the front legs and having a portion operating in said slot to lock the legs in extended position when said portion of the link is in the upturned portion of the slot, and a link pivotally connected with said link and the back member and operating beneath the seat member for withdrawing said'link from the upturned portion of the slot and. moving it rearwardly as the back member is moved tofolded position.

2. A foldable chair comprising a seat member, a back member, means at the rear edge of the seat member pivotally mounting the back membeer for movement to folded position against the top side of the seat member, front and rear legs 140" movedto folded position against the under side 150 of the seat member as the back member is moved to its folded position said connection between the back member and front legs comprising a bracket carried by the seat member and having a slot including an offset portion, a link pivoted to one of the front legs and having a portion operating in said slot to lock the legs in extended position when the portion of the link is in the offset portion of the slot, and a link pivotally connected with said link and the lower portion of the back member and operating beneath the seat member for withdrawing said link from the offset portion of the slot and moving it rearwardly in the slot as the back member is moved to folded position.

3. A foldable chair comprising a seat member, rear legs pivoted to said seat member, front legs pivoted to the seat member adjacent its front edge, a back pivoted to the seat member adjacent its rear edge, said back adapted to be folded into a position against one side of the seat member, said front legs adapted to be folded into a position against the other side of the seat member, means for holding the front legs in extended position, said means including a member secured to the seat member and on which one of said front legs is pivoted, said member having a slot including an offset portion, a link pivoted to the front leg pivoted on said member, said link carrying means operating in said slot to lock the leg in extended position when the means is in the offset portion of the slot, and a link pivotally connected with said link and the lower end portion of the back and located beneath the seat member for operating said link to withdraw the means from the offset portion of the slot and move said means rearwardly as the back member is moved to folded position to thereby also move the front legs to folded position.

4. In a foldable chair, a seat member, front legs pivoted adjacent the front edge of the seat member, rear legs and a back member pivoted adjacent the rear edge of the seat member, a member secured to the seat member having a rearwardly extending slot including an upturned portion at the front end thereof, a link connected to a front leg, guide means on the link operating in the slot to pivot the link to the member and operating to hold the front leg in extended position when the means is located in the upturned portion of the slot and movable rearwardly in the slot to permit the front leg to fold against the under side of the seat member, a pivoted catch adapted to hold the link with said means in the upturned portion of the slot, means connecting the back member to the link to shift the guide means rearwardly in the slot to fold the front legs against the seat member by folding of the back against said member and means for moving the catch to release the link.

5. In a foldable chair, a seat member, front legs pivoted adjacent the front of said member, a back member and rear legs pivoted adjacent the rear edge of the seat member, guide members secured to the seat member and having guide slots extending rearwardly and each including an upturned portion at its forward end, links pivoted to the front legs and carrying means guided in said slots, said means adapted to enter said upturned portions when the front legs are in extended position to retain them in this position and to move rearwardly in said slots to permit the legs to fold against the seat member, an operative connection between said links and the back to draw said means rearwardly in the slots when the back is folded against the seat member, a catch adjacent each link having means to retain said first means in the upturned portions of the slots, means tending to move the catches to securing position, and a hand bar connected to the catches and extending under the seat adjacent its forward edge for shifting the catches to release said first mentioned means.

6. In a foldable chair, a seat member, front legs pivoted to said seat member, rear legs pivoted at their upper ends adjacent the rear edge of said seat member, a back pivoted at the rear edge of the seat member to fold over onto the seat member, and means connecting said rear legs with the back whereby as the back is folded onto the seat member the rear legs are folded rearwardly about their pivots into a position extending from the rear edge of the seat member and in the plane thereof.

7. In a foldable chair, a seat member, front and rear legs pivoted at their upper ends adjacent the front and rear edges of the seat member, a back pivoted at the rear edge of the seat member to fold over onto the seat member, an operating lever on the back member, means connecting one portion of said lever to the rear legs whereby as the back is folded onto the seat member the rear legs are folded rearwardly about their pivots into the plane of the seat member and extending from the rear edge thereof, and link means cimiecting another portion of the operating lever to the front 116 legs whereby as the back is folded against the seat member the front legs will also be folded against the seat member.

8. Ina foldable chair, a seat member, front and rear legs pivoted at their upper ends adjacent 120 the front and rear edges of the seat member, L-shaped brackets secured to the seat member and each having one of their arms disposed up-, wardly, a back member disposed between and pivoted to the upwardly disposed arms of said brackets, an L-shaped operating lever secured to the back and lying at the side of one of the L- shaped brackets when the back is in unfolded position, said back adapted to be folded over onto the seat member, a link connecting a portion of the L-shaped operating lever to one of the rear legs, and link means connecting one arm of the L-shaped operating lever to one of the front legs whereby as the back is moved to folded position against the chair seat the said rear leg will be moved to folded position in the plane ofthe seat and the said front leg will be moved to folded position against the opposite side of the seat to that toward which the back is folded.

JOHN KOVATS. 

